MONTU PHARMACY

Fellow MPharms - PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!

I rarely leave reviews, but I feel healthcare professionals considering employment here should be aware of some significant concerns regarding workplace culture, operational practices, and professional standards.
My experience was that the environment was highly target-driven, often at the expense of staff wellbeing and, in my opinion, professional pharmacy practice. Pharmacists were expected to stand for prolonged periods while checking a high volume of private prescriptions, with significant pressure placed on speed and turnaround times. There appeared to be an expectation that prescriptions could be clinically checked within an extremely short timeframe, which created unnecessary stress and raised concerns about prioritising efficiency over careful clinical assessment.
The workplace culture was, in my experience, unprofessional and at times toxic. I witnessed frequent gossip about locum pharmacists and negative discussions about colleagues behind their backs. Staff who raised concerns or struggled with the workload could be labelled as “too slow” rather than being provided with support. This created an atmosphere where many employees appeared reluctant to speak openly.
Staff retention also seemed to be a recurring issue, with permanent employees leaving regularly. High turnover can occur for many reasons, but the frequency with which people departed was notable and contributed to a lack of continuity within the team.
Payment issues were another source of frustration. Delays in payment caused unnecessary stress for staff and locums who relied on being paid accurately and on time for work already completed.
I also observed situations that I felt demonstrated a lack of professionalism from management. On one occasion, managers opened a bottle of wine in the workplace to celebrate operational targets being met. While celebrating success is understandable, I felt this was an inappropriate message to send within a pharmacy environment.
From a governance perspective, I personally observed recurring discrepancies relating to controlled drug balances and concerns regarding controlled drug storage practices. These observations raised questions for me about the robustness of existing processes and whether they reflected the high standards expected within regulated pharmacy services.
Overall, my experience was that operational targets frequently appeared to take priority over staff welfare, professional development, and the supportive culture that healthcare professionals need in order to provide safe and effective patient care.

Overall, I cannot recommend working here. In my experience, the combination of high staff turnover, poor workplace culture, governance concerns, and an overwhelming focus on operational targets created an environment that felt unsustainable. As a healthcare professional, I left with little confidence that the organisation was moving in the right direction, and I would strongly encourage pharmacists and locums to carefully consider other opportunities before accepting a role.